Turn left
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: A turning point in the season 2 finale occurred when the doctor told Auggie he wasn't a candidate for stem cell therapy. Turn that around. What if he'd said yes? How would Auggie's life change? NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Please read this note before diving into the story. Many readers don't like the "Auggie can finally see" stories, and unless they're done well, I don't like them, either.**

**I did not embark on this story wanting to do that type of thing. What I've been wanting to write is a "turn left" type of story, where you take one important decision and turn it around. I'd thought of another scenario, but pitched it. Then I remembered Auggie's doctor, and that one phone call telling him he wasn't a candidate for stem cell therapy. I thought, what if the doctor said yes? I will try to stay within the actuality that entails stem cell therapy operations. It seems it's not a miraculous cure, and those who have had it experience varying types of vision repair.**

**So, thank you for reading, and enjoy the story! The first chapter is a "changing of what happened," and the rest will be what I hope will happen. **

"Take a message," Auggie barked at the techie that dared interrupt him mid-mission.

"It's Dr. Barker, he said he's important."

Auggie's finger froze on the phone. Dr. Barker. Today is the day he's supposed to call. "Okay, put it through," he said, swallowing the nerves that suddenly erupted and threatened to choke him.

"Dr. Barker, this is August Anderson, you needed to speak to me?"

"Mr. Anderson, yes, I realize you're busy, but you said to call whenever we heard word back from the –"

"Yes, doctor, I am in the middle of something, if you'd get to the point?"

"Of course. Congratulations, you've been accepted."

Auggie's ears suddenly started ringing at the man's words. "I'm sorry, doctor, did you say –"

"Your case has been accepted to receive stem cell therapy," the doctor repeated.

"But how – you said it was a long shot, and –"

"Yes, I did, and the committee was reluctant to take on your situation, but once I explained that you were a war vet who lost his sight in a bombing, they were more accepting."

"Why would –"

"Let me explain. As you know, stem cell therapy is a highly controversial procedure. We're having to do the procedures and testing and research with private funds. But should you, a blinded war veteran, be included in the study, perhaps sentiment would change for the better."

A small part of Auggie reacted vehemently against being made a stem cell poster child, but the prospect of being able to see again overcame that feeling, dug a hole and shoved it in.

"My God, doctor, that's – that's wonderful. Amazing. When do we start?"

"As soon as you're ready. We'll need a month of your time, so whenever you can swing that, give me a call?"

"Absolutely. Thank you, again, doctor."

"You're welcome, August."

Auggie ended the call, still in disbelief of what he'd just heard. He'd been accepted. There was a chance he'd be able to see again. He knew the procedure was risky, and who knew whether or not it would work, but it was better than nothing. Images began forming in his head of all the things he'd want to do. In short, everything. Though he'd adjusted and adapted and tried to make a happy life for himself the past years, he never gave up on the life he'd put on hold.

"Auggie! Annie's waiting for you to respond!"

"Yeah, okay, sorry," Auggie said, pulling himself back to the present. First, save Annie, then he'd get back to his own life.

* * *

><p>Annie, her heels clicking and echoing through the concrete garage's vast interior, heard Auggie before she saw him. The revving of a sweet light blue classic convertible sounded, pulling her towards him. He sat at the wheel of the convertible, his elbow on the top of the door and one hand on top of the steering wheel.<p>

"You called me all the way down here to listen to this?" she asked with a laugh, as she neared him.

Auggie's foot lifted off the accelerator, and he let the engine slide down to an idle before he turned it off. "No," he said with a smile. "Just dreaming."

"Of days gone by, huh?" she asked, opening up the passenger door and sitting down. "How long have you had this?"

"Got it just before I shipped out," Auggie said. "Got in a few hundred miles before I put it up here in storage."

Annie nodded, "And you've kept it because?"

"Because it's mine," Auggie answered with a smirk.

"Logical answer," Annie said. "But really, what'd you bring me out here for?"

"Just figured you'd want to talk somewhere," Auggie said, "and this place is pretty quiet."

"Talk, right," Annie said, remembering the message she'd left him when she landed in-country. Her hands still shook a little whenever she remembered the sound of the gun exploding in her hand.

"The first kill is not something you want to take too lightly," Auggie said, "that's why they hire staff psychiatrists."

"I know, I just thought maybe I could talk to you about it," she said, reaching over and grasping his fingers in hers. The movement was subtle, but coupled with the hopeful tone of her voice, Auggie stilled, wondering at her meaning.

"I wish I could, Annie," he said, and her fingers began to pull away from his. He pulled them back and covered them with his other hand. "No, I mean it. I've always been here for you, and I always will be, but I can't. Not now."

"Ohh, okay. Can I ask why?"

Auggie took a deep breath. Yeah, she could ask, but he wasn't in any position to spread the news. A slight lie was in order, along with a promise to himself to make it up to her when he returned. "Taking a vacation, actually. Been putting it off for way too long."

"Vacation? Auggie, you never take time off," Annie said with a laugh.

"I do now. Gonna visit some relatives."

"Leaving today?"

"Yep."

"So, I guess I'll say good-bye."

The passenger door opened, and Auggie quickly followed as she walked around to the front of the car. "Hey," he said, walking up to her. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I know you will, Auggie."

Her hand reached out to his again, and he used the contact to bring her in for a hug. Her small frame pressed up against his, and he closed his eyes at the comfort and warmth she exuded. There were a lot of things that he looked forward to seeing again should this operation work. But the one thing he had never seen before meant the most to him.

He couldn't wait to see Annie.

**A/N So what do you think? On board with this?**


	2. Chapter 2

Annie kicked her stilettos off and dropped, full length, onto her bed. She sighed in delicious contentment. Another long, half-boring, half-adrenaline fueled mission. If she hadn't needed to keep alert even during the "sit and wait" times, she could learn a trade, or perhaps even a new language. But no, except when she was sleeping, her time belonged to the agency.

Her personal cell beeped on her nightstand, and she groaned as she whipped out an arm to retrieve it. Resuming her comfortable position, she held the phone in front of her face to see that she'd received a text. Yay, she thought, another message from Auggie. It'd been two weeks since he left, and he'd sent a few messages now and again.

Usually, just when she needed to hear from him. It almost made her miss him less. She quickly opened the text.

"Heard some music today that made me think of you. Remind me to play it for you later."

Annie closed her eyes and savored the message. Only halfway through Auggie's vacation, and she was missing him more than she ever thought she would. She'd become so used to his voice on the other end of the line when on a mission, that it was a hard blow when someone else answered the phone. She'd become addicted to him without even realizing it.

Needing a quick Auggie fix, she scrolled back through the messages and read them through again. It'd have to do for now.

* * *

><p><strong>10 days earlier…<strong>

The moment before being put under anesthesia was the worst for Auggie. He had no reason to be nervous. Dr. Barker gave him so much information about the procedure and what what was going to happen, that Auggie felt he could almost do the operation himself. He'd given himself shots before, but never in the eyeball, so maybe it was best that he left it up to the experts.

Besides, even with his hyper senses and sensitive touch, he might miss. He chuckled a bit to himself. He'd have to remember that one to tell Annie later on. Annie. He almost wished she were here – or at the least, in the waiting room. But it was too late now to back out on his decision to keep this operation a secret.

As the anesthesia began to take effect, and the movements of the doctors and nurses around him faded away, he pulled up his mental image of Annie to keep him company until he woke again.

**3 days later…**

Waiting. You'd think for an Army soldier and an federal employee, Auggie be an expert at waiting. But not now. He'd had his eyes bandaged for three days now, and he couldn't wait one minute more to remove the offending wrappings.

His eyelids had been taped shut, as well, and the time was coming for Dr. Barker to remove it all and allow Auggie to open his eyes once more. For his part, Dr. Barker said everything went well. The intricate surgery was perfect. The stem cells were inserted into his eyeballs. As Dr. Barker and his colleagues explained, every patient so far had differing forms of failing eyesight, and no one would know how effective the surgery went until the patient's eyes were opened.

For Auggie, he tried to listen as it was explained to him again what made him see black instead of colors and shapes, but he'd heard it all before. He had to suppress himself from saying, "yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah." The one part he didn't know before now was that not everything in his eyeballs, nor behind it, nor through to his brain was dead. It was the only chance he had, that the stem cells would find the live cells still active, attach themselves, and replicate.

The amount of time he had between the operation and when the stem cells were done replicating was longer than three days, but given Auggie's total blindness, Dr. Barker was sure that some progress would be noticeable now.

For his part, Auggie attempted to discern if he saw anything different behind his eyelids. The answer was no. He was so heavily bandaged, though, even if he did see perfectly, not enough light was getting through the gauze to see anything.

The door banged open, making him jump a bit.

"Well, Mr. Anderson, ready to see what we've got here?"

Auggie grined, "I am definitely ready to 'see' whatever I can."

"Ha ha, very good. Not experiencing any pain or side effects?"

Auggie shook his head, "No, everything has been normal, as expected."

He could hear the man moving around, and papers flipping. "You are going to remove this today, right?" he asked, his anxiety that had been building all morning spiking.

"Of course. Just waiting for the nurse to bring the tray in. Ahh, here we are. If you'd just place it here on the bed, we can proceed. Now, Mr. Anderson, we'll just raise the head of your bed here so you can be upright."

Auggie took a deep breath to calm and center himself and focused solely on following Dr. Barker's directions.

"Turn your head to the side. Okay, now the gauze is off, we'll remove these pads. Hold perfectly still, Mr. Anderson. Nurse, if you could dim the lights? Thank you. Now, we're going to remove the tape off of your eyelids. Please try to keep the eyelids shut after this. Perfect."

Auggie dug his fingernails into the palm of his hand. The doctor was working methodically, precisely, but it was all-too-slow for Auggie's comfort. And now he had to keep his eyes shut?

"Doc, please."

"Okay. You can open your eyes now, but please, do it slowly."

The moment had come, and for a split second, Auggie just wanted to keep his eyes shut. He was afraid of what he would see. But the years-long urge and want to defy that which hindered him won him over.

He took a breath, held it, then blinked. Once, twice.

"Mr. Anderson? What do you see?"

Auggie barely heard the doctor. He kept blinking, pretty much out of very old habit, as the fuzzy images invading his brain moved in and out.

"Is there any difference?"

The doctor's question was louder, shouted at him.

Auggie heard that, and he nodded, "Yes." But what kind of difference is this? He went from a black void to shifting fuzzy, blurry images. He put his hand up to his face, waving it back and forth.

A sob choked him. He did it again. As his hand moved from one side to the other, the blurry field shifted. "My God."

"Mr. Anderson?"

The doctor's voice was full of hope, concern, wonder, worry.

Auggie smiled and turned to the man who stood by the side of his bed. He blinked a few more times until the shadow of the doctor became discernable from the darker field behind him.

"Good morning, Dr. Barker."

* * *

><p><strong>AN OH MY GOODNESS! Every single one of you reading this ROCK! The reviews, alerts and favorites for just one short first chapter are amazing! And I'm so glad the "auggie gets his sight back" idea was accepted. Especially after I researched stem cell therapy for the blind and found that it has been done already, and what the results are. My results for Auggie will be similar, but expanded. I'm constructing Auggie's experiencines as "wishful thinking" and hoping that all blind people can some day experience the same.**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks later, Auggie was safe and alone back in his apartment. The doctors, nurses and therapists all danced around him the entire time after the bandages were off until he was released. Apparently, they all thought it wouldn't work at all. Stem cell therapy was never thought to bring any amount of sight to the completely blind. Auggie told them straight out that all he saw was a golden haze amidst the blackness, but they still danced and whooped and hollered.

He let them, for a couple of days, and then he requested, none-too-politely, that they get busy helping him acclimate to what he was seeing and what he could do with this newfound half-sense.

There was no way he was getting back his full sight, and yeah, a small part of him was disappointed, but that small part just wanted to go four-wheeling. After it became obvious that the therapy had done all it could, and the doctor said he had all the sight he could get, he swallowed that little nugget of disappointment, took a deep breath, thanked every higher entity he could think of for what he'd been given, and moved on.

As the therapy team couldn't really do much more for him than explain the science, Auggie took his rehabilitation on himself. Differing levels of light, he found, made the shapes and shadows more prominent, and he could almost discern faces of people. He tested this again and again, especially with people he'd never met before, just to make sure his mind wasn't feeding him false information.

But yep, if he and the person were face-to-face, and the lighting was right, the shadows fell and shifted into a recognizable face. Nothing made him happier at that precise moment. Well, one thing would, but lettering and writing was so one-dimensional that it was impossible for him to sight read. So, Braille would still be his first language, but he didn't mind that much. It still gave others the perception that he was still blind, and his new seeing status was going to be need-to-know only.

A sudden, insistent knocking at his apartment door pulled him away from his rehab exercises. He hadn't expected anyone, nor should anyone know he was home.

"Yes?" he asked loudly, walking across the floor.

"Auggie, it's Joan."

Auggie nodded to himself. Joan he could handle right now, so he opened the door. "Come in, Joan."

"Thank you."

"I'm surprised you knew I was here, considering –"

"Considering you told everyone, including me, you were away visiting family," she finished for him. "Auggie, have a seat, please."

While he moved across the room, Joan noticed how, now, his head moved differently as he walked. So it's true, she thought. When they were both comfortable, she said, "You aren't going to like this, but we know where you've been and what you've had done."

Auggie's head whipped around to his right where Joan sat. The golden shadows and shapes shifted until they settled. This time, he allowed his brain to bring up his memory of Joan to merge with what he saw in front of him. His head tilted to the right, and he said, "You've let your hair grow longer."

"So have you."

Auggie laughed, "I know I should be angry, but I would expect nothing else from you. Actually, this is good. I needed someone to talk to."

"So, you're now among the sighted again?" she asked.

"Nope, still legally blind. But now –" he shook his head as his throat constricted with emotion. "Now, Joan, instead of midnight 24/7, there's light. Shadows. You know what's weird? I don't remember colors, and I figured that anything that came out would be black and white, gray shades. But what I see now are gold hues. They tell me I have a sepia-toned sight now, and –"

Auggie paused and pulled out his wallet. From an inner pocket, he pulled out a well-worn photo that he'd last pulled out when he entrusted Annie with the knowledge of how he really lost his sight. The picture taken of him and his buddies in Tikrit a few hours before the explosion. "I don't remember colors much anymore, but I forced myself to remember this. Because of that, it's what I see now. It's what I see."

Joan looked at the picture and at the man sitting a couple of feet away. She'd worked with him sighted, brought him back into the fold blind, and now he can see again. It didn't matter that he'll never be what he was. What had been taken was being gifted back. She rarely cried in front of others, but she lifted the tight hold on herself and allowed a few tears to fall.

Auggie could hear her sniffing, smell the saltiness of her tears, and now see her hand raising to her face, but he didn't say anything. Joan's tears never came easy, and he was grateful for them. After a few minutes, he asked, "How did you know?"

Joan gave one final sniff to clear her voice, "The doctor called your office, remember? You were watched, and the procedure monitored all the way through."

"Thank you," Auggie replied.

"I thought you'd be upset," Joan said honestly.

"No, I'm glad to have someone there, everyone can always use someone watching their back."

"Glad to hear it."

Auggie thought back to what Joan said. "Joan, who all knows?"

"You, me, Arthur," Joan replied.

"But who heard the call?" he pressed. "Who followed me? Who was in on the procedure?"

"Quiet, Auggie," Joan said, reaching a hand out to his shoulder. "Those who were assigned only had a need-to-know protocol to follow. They had no idea who you were, what you did, and why they were doing it. And once the project was done, they were reassigned."

Auggie nodded, his slight flush of anxiety quelled. "Thank you."

"We need you, Auggie. The effort to do all this was minimal."

Auggie put his hand over Joan's on his shoulder. "Yeah, but still, it's above and beyond."

"It was our pleasure," Joan said.

"So, what now?"

Joan stood, readying herself to leave, "You come back, and we see what you can do."

Auggie chuckled, "Yeah, we'll all see what I can do."

* * *

><p>Now that his not-so-secret secret was out of the bag, Auggie began to think of the one person, in addition to the Campbells, that he'd wanted to relay the information to personally. He'd been formulating, off and on, what to say to Annie.<p>

He'd also been wondering one thing: how was she going to react? Life-changing news he'd given her in the past never went the way he imagined. And this? This is the biggest piece of news he'd ever had to relay to someone, aside from speaking to his parents for the first time after the bomb exploded.

He kept alive that last moment they had together, in the garage, when they were so close to each other. He so wanted to tell her then, but he'd decided not to tell anyone, even those closest to him. But, he told himself, he needed to tell her now before he returned to work. He couldn't see – heh heh – having a "gotcha" moment in the office. Or at a bar. No, he needed to have her here, alone, where they could talk.

He was due to return to the office in a week, and he hoped she was in town. Now that he'd given himself the go-ahead to tell her, he couldn't wait any longer. He needed to see her.

He only had an idea of her beauty. Others' words, his own personal touch, but words, he knows, don't give beautiful women justice. And that's what she was, he knew. A beautiful woman. But she was also funny and loyal and brave and sexy. Damn. He couldn't wait any longer.

He picked up the phone.

**A/N Don't kill me! I know from the reviews that everyone wants the big A&A scene, but I had to set it up a bit first, impart some information before diving in. Also, the reunion deserves its own chapter, and I want to spend a decent amount of time constructing everything.**

**Additionally, I took "what Auggie can see now" from the show, his own words, that he doesn't remember colors now, but can remember the picture.**

**Don't know if this website will come through, but it's the 3/5/2012 Science News story about human stell cell therapy in blind patients from the UK's Telegraph.**

**http : / www. telegraph. co. uk/ science/ science-news/ 9033582/ Human-stem-cell-therapy-works-in-blind-patients-in-first-trial. html**

**Thank you and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

_"Auggie! Why are you calling now? Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"_

_"I'm back early."_

_"Oh, okay. So, no more text messages, huh?"_

_"I thought you'd enjoy those. Listen, I got something to tell you. Can you come by after work?"_

_"No, I'd love to come by, but can't you tell me now?"_

_"No, it's not really something I can say over the phone."_

_"Oh, okay. About 6, then?"_

_"Looking forward to seeing you then."_

_"Okay. Bye, Auggie. Wait, do you want me to bring dinner?"_

_"No, I'll order in."_

_"See you then."_

* * *

><p>Auggie had just finished setting out the Italian takeout that'd arived 15 minutes before when he heard Annie's knock. 6:00 sharp. He wanted his first glimpse of her to be perfect, so he spent the time after he hung up with her adjusting the lighting in his apartment so that he'd be able to see her perfectly when she arrived.<p>

As her knock came again, he walked across the room and opened the door.

"Annie, good to see you again," he said with a wide smile.

She took half a step in, and by some miracle of fate, good lighting, and hell if he knew, a miracle, maybe, her face came perfectly into view. He knew her height, how long her hair was, but he saw now –

Damn, what he saw now made him curse the men responsible for making him blind. This vision, this beauty had been right under his nose the entire time, and he'd been treating her like a buddy, a best friend? He'd ask her for the color of her eyes later, but he saw that they were large and expressive. Her skin was clear and radiant, even with the golden hue his eyes were giving him. And her smile, that she gave in return of his, was almost blinding in its purity.

His first instinct was to grab her, hold her to him and apologize for any wrong he'd ever done her. That he should have trusted his first instincts when he'd met her and pursued her romantically.

Annie felt a bit like a butterfly under a microscope, the way Auggie stood in front of her without speaking. She also felt like she was on stage, the way the lighting in the room was brighter than she remembered.

"Hey, Auggie. It's good to see you, too. How was your vacation?" she asked, taking a step around him to put the bottle of Patron on the kitchen counter. Her nose inhaled the deliciousness of the food laid out before her, and her stomach gave a growl of appreciation. "Wow, you didn't have to go all out like this. I would've settled for a pizza," she said with a laugh.

She turned back around to see him slide the door shut, shake his head, then turn around and walk across the room toward her. It may have been that she hadn't seen him for three weeks, but something seemed…off about him. Different. Taking a quick scan of him head to toe, nothing seemed out of place. Hair still the same, outfit suitably casual – tee and loose jeans – ever-present smile that always lingered around his lips. She could always tell when that smile was in response to something instead of just being inherently happy and at ease with himself, 'cause it went up to his eyes.

For some reason, Auggie thought Annie could tell right off that his gaze wasn't entirely unfocused, or that he was looking directly at her instead of – well, wherever his eyes looked in the past. But it seemed she didn't. She'd said hello, complimented his meal choice, and leaned against the counter, watching his approach.

The moment had come. "I thought the news I had deserved a little bit more effort than a pizza."

"Oh, that's right," Annie said. "You said you had something to tell me."

"Yeah, so, I'd thought about how to tell you so many times, but each way seemed not quite right."

Annie reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder as he came within a foot of her. "Auggie, you're scaring me, you know. Anything you want to tell me, you can."

"Okay. I guess it'd be too much to ask you to sit down?"

"Auggie, come on."

"I haven't spent the past three weeks on vacation, or even visiting anyone." Auggie took a deep breath and settled his golden-hued gaze on Annie's face. The shadows coalesced within two seconds, and he began to speak. "I'd been accepted into a medical trial to receive stem cell therapy treatment. I had stem cells surgically injected into my eyes, and - well, let's just say that I no longer live in the dark anymore."

Annie's heart thumped hard in her chest as his words sank in. A hundred thoughts swirled around in her head, not one of them making much more sense than the last.

Auggie tried to focus intently on her face, but the shadows didn't tell him much. All he saw was that her mouth had, maybe, opened a bit. But she didn't speak, didn't react. Did she not understand? Damn, maybe he should have asked Dr. Barker about what to say to those who didn't know the science.

"I know, Annie, that it's a lot to take in. I mean, everyone told me that I'd forever be completely blind, and I'd accepted that, lived with it for years now. But this opportunity came up, and since there were no downsides, how could I say no, right? Also, I'm not completely sighted now. If you want, you can talk to my doctor about the details, but I've got about 5% to 10% of my sight back. Not enough to drive, of course," he joked, "but enough to now see shadows instead of blackness, and I can almost make out faces now."

He took half a step towards her and started to reach out to her face, showing her, without words, that he no longer had to guess where she was, or grope for her hand.

But, just as his fingers were about to caress her cheek, she stepped back away from him.

"Annie?"

"You – you're not blind anymore?"

"Legally, still, yes, and I'll still have to read Braille and use a cane, but I –"

Annie waved away his explanations, "Yeah, I understand that part, you can see shadows now, but that's not my point. You met someone who could restore your sight, planned to have the surgery done, took time off, made excuses that you'd be gone for a month, had the surgery, rehabbed for what, a couple weeks now, and you're only now informing me of all this?"

Auggie shrunk back at her harsh tone, almost as if she'd slapped him. "Annie, why are you –"

"Mad? Angry? Upset? Choose any adjective you'd like, Auggie," she spat out.

"I thought you'd be happy for me," Auggie said.

"I should be happy that my closest friend, one that I'd grown so close to, that I'd –" Annie snapped her mouth shut before she laid her heart out completely. "That my best friend lied to me for a month? I know we're spies, Auggie, and spies lie, but I thought we were beyond that."

"One small lie," Auggie said, not liking at all what was happening between them. Of all the scenarios he'd imagined, a heated argument never figured into his fantasies. "Annie, I told no one. Not my family, not my friends, not one other person."

"Why?"

"Because!" he shouted. "What if something went wrong? It was bad enough my own hopes were somewhere in the clouds, I didn't want to end up disappointing anyone in the long run."

"So, you were just looking out for us? For me? 'Cause you didn't want to upset me?"

Auggie growled in frustration, his hands tearing through his hair. "Yes, is that too difficult to understand?"

Annie scoffed, "I'm a big girl, Auggie. No matter what happened in the end, I would've be supportive of you."

"You would have been? So you're not now?" he said, the sarcasm evident in his voice.

"How can I be?" Annie said, whirling around at him. "I thought we were closer than this, Auggie. The last time we talked, we said we'd always be there for each other. Don't you remember?"

Auggie ducked his head down. If only she knew, he thought, that that conversation and embrace were the only thing that kept him grounded his first week away. "Yes, of course, I remember. I said I'd always be there for you."

"So, were you just lying then, too, or were you telling the truth?"

"I was telling the truth, Annie. I will always tell you the truth. It's just, this time, I couldn't."

Annie wanted to believe him, but the shock and hurt went a little too deep. "You know, it took a lot for me to open myself up to you, and for a little while there, ever since Stockhom, really, I thought that maybe we could –"

She stopped herself, again, before giving away too much. Her true feelings were all she had left now, and she felt no compunction to strip herself bare and endure even more hurt.

"Maybe we could what, Annie? What's this all about?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily, clearing her voice of the emotion that now threatened to bubble up. "Besides, it's all a moot point now, isn't it?"

The shadows shifted suddenly in front of his face, but even without that visual cue, he could hear her familiar steps across his hardwood floor toward the door. "Annie, wait, don't leave," he said, crossing the floor to block her getaway.

Annie stopped up short as Auggie's body came between her and the door.

"Don't leave. We should talk this out," he begged.

"Please, Auggie, don't do this. Just, let me go."

He didn't want to. Every instinct in him wanted to hold her here and apologize and hug and embrace her. She was almost trembling in front of him, and the knowledge that he was responsible for that broke something in him.

He stepped to the side, and as she brushed past him to slide the door open, he felt her pause.

"Congratulations, Auggie," he heard her whisper.

The shutting of the door echoed around him, finally settling into the silence of his apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Sorry about that, but it's my suspicion that Annie's got so much baggage in the romance department, that her reaction is pretty dead-on. Also, I'm taking from the ep where Auggie gets promoted, "you're leaving me?" as inspiration.**

**And, as usual, I always write "happily ever after" stories. You'll just have to hang on to see how this one turns out.**

**Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N All right, calm down, everybody. Read on.**

Auggie listened to his own breathing in the silence of his apartment for ten seconds before he thought, "No, no way in hell." He wasn't about to let her go, not like this. Something was very wrong between them, and he'd be damned if he let things end this way. Not now that he's had his first glimpse of her.

He opened the door to hear the elevator at the end of the hall ding and her footsteps entering. Luckily, his knowledge of the building didn't require sight to navigate, and he ran down the hallway. He slid into the elevator before the door shut.

He heard her gasp at his sudden appearance, and he reached over to the panel and pushed the door shut button. Once it slid closed, he hit the stop button to make sure they weren't disturbed, effectively cutting off her escape.

In the dim light of the confined space, he was nearly blind again, so he switched to his other hyper senses. She wasn't moving, and also not talking. So, he decided to speak.

"I know there's something more to what happened back there, but I'm not going to push you to talk," he said, leaning against the rail that round around the elevator. "For myself, I apologize. I should have told you. If it didn't work, I wanted to get over the disappointment alone. I can't stand pity."

She still didn't respond, but he could tell she was listening. "The entire time I was in the hospital, I kept thinking of you, though, wishing you were there waiting for when I woke up, and that your face was the first thing I saw."

A soft gasp from Annie echoed around the space.

"I won't lie. I'd halfway hoped when the gauze came off that I could see completely."

"What do you see?" he heard her whisper.

"Light. Light in the darkness, golden hues. Remember the picture of me and my Army buddies I showed you? That's what I forced myself to remember," he said. "That's what I see."

A few seconds of silence built between them before he heard a soft sob. Then, "You can see."

"Just a little, yes," he replied, wondering if he'd finally broken through to her. "I'm sorry, Annie, truly I am, for not telling you earlier."

"No, Auggie, don't apologize," she said, and he heard a sniff accompany her words. "I don't know why I walked away from you."

Auggie shrugged, "Shock, maybe?"

"Yeah, I guess. Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me," Auggie countered with a chuckle.

Annie laughed and said, "God, we're a couple of idiots."

"Agreed," Auggie said. "So, want to come back in? I don't think I can eat all of that food myself."

The light shifted, and Auggie realized she was moving, taking a couple of steps towards him. "I'd love to."

He held out his hand with only a touch of hesitation, which soon vanished when her fingers curled into his. "I'd love to," she replied.

They spent the next few hours eating all the pasta and breadsticks they could stuff themselves with and toasted one another with a shot of the tequila Annie brought. Auggie congratulated her on the choice. He knew it wasn't cheap.

In the well-lit apartment, Auggie kept the mood light and easy. He didn't want to scare her away again or upset her, for he wanted to spend as much time as he could drinking in her appearance. Every movement she made he committed to memory, matching what he heard and touched of her to how she moved.

He found when she laughed, she did so with her own body, and her hair swung around her shoulders. He felt acutely embarrassed that it took him this long for the feelings of admiration and attraction to bubble up to the surface.

He'd love for the night to move forward to what he knew would be a wonderful fulfillment of several of his fantasies, but within her laughter, her words, there was a tinge of something else she was holding back. He knew enough not to push, though, not now.

Tonight was about celebrating.

She asked him about the music he'd promised to play for her, and he pulled out the CDs he'd ordered and played them for her. Auggie loved that she enjoyed the same music as he did. Not many women he met understood or "got" jazz, but Annie did. He thought, it was almost as if they'd met for the first time all over again. He asked her about her first kill a month ago, and she admitted she was seeing the agency's psychiatrist and doing well with it.

She asked, almost shyly, about the woman she knew he was seeing.

"We broke up," he admitted. "She's gone."

"I'm sorry, Auggie," she said, laying a soft hand on his forearm.

Auggie nodded, secretly loving the gesture, and thought, "I'm not."

"It's okay," he told her. "I've got other, more important things to think about now. Excited to get back to work, see how much more I can do."

"I'm so happy for you, Auggie," she said.

Then, as her arms slid around his waist to envelope him in a warm hug, he returned it, whispering into the smooth expanse of her hair, "So am I."

**Not done yet, in the least. Still more to come, Auggie's return to work, their burgeoning relationship, and the like.**

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

Throughout the weekly status meeting, Joan kept her eyes on Auggie. If she hadn't known where he really was the past four weeks, she would not have noticed that his sight was partially restored. He seemed to be downplaying everything, just as she instructed him to do.

As the meeting wound up, she asked him and Annie to stay back. Once the rest of the staff cleared the room, she turned to Annie, "You know?"

Annie nodded, "Yes, he told me. How did –"

"I watched both of you throughout the meeting," Joan explained.

"I know," Auggie said, his wide smile threatening to crack his face in half.

"Scrap the smile, Daredevil," Joan said, biting her cheeks to keep from grinning at Auggie's reaction to her nickname. "We're keeping this need to know for now, until we ascertain your limitations."

Auggie gave an overdramatic sigh. "Ahh, come on, Mom, can't I go out and play with the other kids?"

Joan again bit her cheek to keep from laughing, but Annie didn't, and both she and Auggie dissolved into giggles.

"Come on, you two. This is serious. Auggie, you need to take this slow."

Auggie shook his head, his mirth ebbing. "Come on, Joan. I can't stay behind my desk for the rest of my life."

"You've never stayed there, to begin with," she shot back. "We're keeping this need to know because we don't want you targeted."

"What?"

"There's been some interesting intel in the chatter recently, about a soldier blinded in war who got his sight back with the help of controversial stem cell therapy," Joan informed them both.

"Ohh," Auggie replied. He'd forgotten until now that piece of information that Dr. Barker had told him that fateful day. Namely because he'd never mentioned it again.

"Privacy laws have kept your name secret, until now."

"What are you saying, Joan?" Auggie asked, trepidation filling him. Damn, why hadn't he paid more attention?

"Who else have you told about this, besides us?" she asked.

"No one," he replied.

"No family? No friends?"

"No," he reiterated.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise, Joan," he said, raising the Boy Scout salute.

She nodded, "Good. It's going to stay that way. As far as anyone knows, none of this happened."

"What?" he near-shouted.

"Why?" Annie asked.

"Your doctor was right about the controversy regarding stem cells being used in the operation," Joan informed them. "It was rather idealistic of him to believe that you being a war veteran would garner nothing but sympathy. Rather, it's had the opposite effect."

She had both of their attentions now. "The stem cell protestors are now putting out information that the US government is using this therapy on all of its soldiers, healing them, and then putting them back out to fight."

"That's not true," Annie protested. "Why –"

"Don't be naïve," Joan interrupted her. Then, turning back to Auggie, "You have two options here, and be grateful that I'm leaving the choice up to you. One, give up covert status, give the public the information as to what actually happened, and become the poster boy they wanted you to be."

Auggie gulped, but kept his countenance from showing any reaction. "Second option?"

"Do nothing. Tell no one. Go on as if this never happened."

Joan knew her tech ops guru wouldn't like either option, and the emotions he tried to hide were playing across his face.

Auggie's heart felt about a foot from his chest down into his stomach. His elation burst as he pictured both scenarios she'd given him, not liking either one. It was supposed to be a miracle, he thought, but once again, his life was being manipulated. All the thoughts and ideas he had of exploring his life now, testing his newfound abilities, disappeared.

"Arthur needs an answer by the end of the day," Joan said, standing and leaving the room, patting his shoulder as she passed by.

Auggie nodded. He needed to think, and he couldn't do it here. He got up to head to his office. His exit was stayed by Annie's hand on his arm.

"I've gotta think about this, Annie, okay?"

"I know," she said, standing up. "Let me help?"

He knew what she was asking. He'd pushed her away in the past, just as she reached out to him. They'd come back together in the past week, and he couldn't afford to hurt her again. He nodded, and she took her usual spot at his side, her elbow brushing up against him.

When they reached his office, it was thankfully empty, and Annie slid the door shut. Auggie settled in his chair, and Annie brought another one up beside him.

She didn't press him to talk, as she knew how big a step it was for him to let her in like this. So she waited.

"Life really sucks sometimes, you know?" he said. "Sight taken away, not allowed to say how. Sight partially restored, not allowed to tell anyone."

"Sort of like a lifelong covert op," Annie said.

Auggie shrugged, "It doesn't have to be. Joan said I could go live, become their poster boy."

"That's true. You could tell your family. They'd be thrilled."

Auggie thought about that, a small smile coming to his face. "I'd be able to do more, test out my sight, and I don't know, maybe try other methods, now that we know my eyes aren't completely dead."

"Sounds wonderful," Annie said.

"I tried going live once, remember?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah," Annie said, remembering back to his promotion that would have him be the department's face and voice, directly under Arthur. "You never told me why you gave it up, though."

Auggie knew he never told her why, and the reason was sitting beside him. Sure, she wasn't the only reason, but when he came back, he knew it was where he belonged. Where he could do what he's best at. He gave up the physicality of being out in the field, but with Annie's arrival almost two years ago, he realized that he'd been out in the field too many times to count.

Annie watched the emotions and feelings cross his face as he thought his options out. "You've already made up your mind, haven't you?" she asked. "I can see the determination on your face."

Auggie nodded, and Annie let out her pent-up breath. She was sure he wanted to leave. She would if she were in his shoes. "Will I still be able to see you, or do they keep overt spies separate from the rest of us?" she asked, trying to make a joke of it, but the dawning idea of not working with him broke her heart just that much more.

Auggie turned to her, letting the light and shadows coalesce before he spoke. "Well, Joan gave me two options. I've got a third in mind."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Will you get mad if I tell you to wait until I talk to Joan about it?" he asked with a smirk.

Annie rolled her eyes, "Ha ha. No, of course not. Just, do what's going to make you happy, okay? That's all I ask."

As she left, the trail of scent and high heels in her wake, Auggie thought on her words. What would make him happy? A lot of things, but one in particular was within his reach.

He headed up to Joan's office, and after being summoned in, he saw that Arthur was there, as well.

"Well, here he is," Arthur said in greeting. "Poster boy."

Well, Auggie thought, at least he's gotten off the "soldier boy" kick he was usually greeted with. "Looking good, Arthur," he said, walking directly up to the man, his hand extended.

The movement brought a smile to Arthur's face, as did Auggie's direct gaze into his eyes. Joan had remarked to him the miraculous change in Auggie, and seeing it for himself made his annoyance wane, and he clasped Auggie's hand. "Congratulations, Anderson."

"Thank you, sir."

"I take it you're here because you've made your choice, Auggie?" Joan asked.

Auggie turned to his boss, "Actually, I'm here because I've thought of a third."

Of course he has, Joan thought.

"Stay covert," Auggie continued. "Tell no one. But in the resumption of my duties, and perhaps with Annie's help, if you'd allow it, I continue to push myself, test my new abilities. Maybe think of me now as your secret weapon."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Have you all gotten over getting mad at me for Annie's initial reactio nto Auggie's announcement? You are? Good, I was worried there. lol So, what do you think about this chapter? Think Auggie can pull it off?**


	7. Chapter 7

Auggie wasn't quite sure what he'd gotten himself into, but so far, it seemed to be working. Joan and Arthur scoffed, joked, argued and talked with him for a good hour after he offered his third option. In the interests of his own sanity, and the fact that the two other options weren't in the least bit feasible, he stood his ground.

In the end, it seemed to come down to trust and whether or not they believed that he'd keep quiet and be able to pull off being a fully blind man when he could, in fact, see, even partially. When that was said, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Were they serious?

Arthur had wanted him to sign a legally binding document that, should his status be found out, he'd be fired and left to the wolves. Joan countered that she knew Auggie better than Arthur did, and she was satisfied with his word that he'd do what he promised.

That only left Annie's participation. Arthur picked up the phone to call down to her, but Auggie stopped him, saying given Arthur's past with her, she might not be too receptive. He'd talk to her and see if she was game to join the subterfuge.

Joan gave her acceptance, and Auggie hightailed it out of there before Arthur could protest. Best to leave their disagreements between them, he thought.

When he made it back to his office, he chuckled when he saw that Annie hadn't left. "Hey, sorry that took so long."

Annie swiveled around in his chair, "You had five minutes left before I was coming after you."

Auggie resumed his seat, and Annie took the spare one. He could feel her tension radiating, so he decided to put her out of her misery. He turned in his chair toward her and leaned his elbows on his knees. The "favor" he was about to ask might fall within her "doing things without her consent," but he hoped she'd be on board, nonetheless.

"Okay, I said I'd thought of a third option, but the prudent and protocol way of getting permission for it was to run it by Joan, which I've just done. It would've gone smoother, but Arthur was in her office, and he didn't make it easy."

Annie had been on tenterhooks for the past hour, wondering what Auggie's grand plan was. She'd tried not to think of herself and of her wants, but she really couldn't imagine working here without his presence. "Auggie, just spit it out. I'm dying here."

"I know," he said, offering his hand out to her. When her palm hit his, he sandwiched it between his, secretly loving the softness of her skin coupled with her strength. "I'm staying."

Her intake of breath would've been enough to give him hope, but she also clapped her other hand on top of his and squeezed. "There is a drawback, though, and it directly involves you. Before you pull away, hear me out."

Annie was still on the initial high of the news that he wasn't leaving when he laid out the rest of his plan. When he finished speaking, she couldn't quite believe it. "That's it?" she asked.

"You expected more?" he asked with a laugh.

"But, it's what you've been doing all along," she pointed out.

"Actually, it's what we've been doing," he corrected. "I hadn't been out in the field before you got here. Joan never said anything, but I knew it was reckless. Now, of course, it's all sanctioned, above-board. But, only if you agree to it."

Annie knew immediately what he was asking of her. If she didn't agree, he was back to being stuck behind the desk, with no opportunity whatsoever to head into the field. Or, even worse, become the poster boy he'd agreed to at the outset. In the end, the choice was obvious.

"I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," she said with a laugh.

Auggie immediately dropped her hands and reached for her shoulders, simultaneously standing up and pulling her with him. "Thank you, Annie," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a full-on hug.

Her initial shock at the embrace melted quickly, and Annie slid her arms around his back. Only once before had they been this close, and then she had initiated it as a thank you. His thanks now was much the same, but back then, she didn't have these simmering feelings for him. Back then, they were merely friends.

Now they were on the cusp of a new partnership, one that would put them closer than they've ever been. She could never have turned him down, but was she strong enough to be essentially tied to his hip and still remain friends?

Auggie could've stayed in this position a few more minutes, especially with Annie laying her head on his shoulder and the feel of her hands splayed across his back. But they were at work, and appropriateness pretty much told him to end the hug lest prying eyes read more into it.

His ringing phone gave him the out, and he extricated himself from her arms to answer it. Not having his Bluetooth on him, he just hit speaker and said, "Anderson."

"We need an answer, Auggie," came Joan's voice in the office.

"She's in," he replied.

"Good. I take it she's there in your office still?"

"I'm here, Joan," Annie said.

Arthur piped in then, "I must impart to both of you that if anyone finds out about this on the outside, you'll both be removed from covert duty."

Annie slid her hand into Auggie's before answering, "We won't let you down."

* * *

><p>Since they knew it'd take time before a situation came up that would allow them to implement their new protocol, Annie and Auggie decided to start small and head out for drinks after work. Their usual haunt, Allen's Tavern, would give Auggie a safe outlet with an unsuspecting crowd.<p>

Before they crossed the threshold, Auggie pulled Annie aside, "Do me a favor and keep an eye on me tonight?"

"Why? Plan on celebrating with a half a dozen shots?" Annie joked.

"Well, yeah, but other than that, I've got to practice my sightlines."

"Okay, what does that mean?" Annie asked.

"Just, tell me if I'm staring too closely at someone or something," he said. "I got some practice the last month, but I need someone to make sure of that."

"You'll be fine," she reassured him.

"Thanks, but if we can't do this here, there's no way it'll work for real, out in the field."

"I know, Auggie," she said, giving his upper arm a squeeze. "I won't let you down."

She opened the door and whispered, "It's showtime."

* * *

><p>AN Thinking hard now on what type of mission I can devise for these two. Anything already written wouldn't be applicable. Excited and nervous at the same time about this. Aaugh!

Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I think y'all will like this. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Auggie slid into his former role remarkably easily, if he said so himself. It was kind of like putting on an old sweater. He and Annie slid through the crowd. He kept his looking around at a minimum, though he was dying to do so.<p>

The hospital and his apartment were controlled environments, where either he or others could play with the lighting conditions. The bar, full of people, was the perfect locale to test his vision.

Within five minutes, they were at a table with a couple of beer bottles. He tried to keep his movements to a minimum, but apparently, he failed at nonchalance as Annie placed a hand on his forearm and leaned in.

"You're overdoing it," she whispered.

Auggie nodded and took a deep breath. "It's just so new," he said back, keeping his voice low. "Maybe we should have picked somewhere less populated."

"Try keeping your head still, but dart your eyes around," Annie replied. "You did that before."

"Did I, really?" Auggie said. He'd tried not to, as he found that, though people knew he couldn't look them in the eye, they appreciated it more if his eyes settled somewhere.

"Not too much, no, but keep it slow," Annie said.

"Thanks. I'm buying for the rest of the night, you know."

"You don't have to."

Auggie lifted his head and looked directly at her. She froze, and he knew he had her attention. "And you don't have to be here. But you are. I owe you more than a few nights worth of beers."

Caught within his gaze, Annie felt a frisson of emotion slide through her. She knew he couldn't see her fully, that she was nothing but a golden amalgam of shadows to him, but she didn't care.

"Whatever we owe one another, it'll all come out even in the end," she said.

Even with the low, uneven lighting, Auggie's vision gave him enough cues to tell him that she was leaning toward him and looking directly at him. In the past, it'd taken a word or a touch for him to know what someone was thinking. Now, though, he could see that she was looking at him, and she liked what she was seeing, that she was truly enjoying his company.

Did she always look at him like that, he thought. Was he missing all of this without knowing? He leaned in to ask her about it when he heard his name.

"Auggie?"

Female, high-pitched. He only had a few seconds to slide back into the "no, I'm really blind" mode before a hand came to his shoulder.

"Auggie, it is you. Where have you been?"

Annie unobtrusively shrunk back into her chair, hating the interruption in a miniskirt, but knowing Auggie needed as much practice as he could get in talking to people. Maybe they should've spent more time together alone before going out like this, she thought.

"Paige, I missed you," Auggie said with a smile. "Been away on vacation."

And as the two obvious former lovers chatted, Annie sat a couple feet away, trying to discern her feelings of jealousy. It'd never bothered her before – well, most of the time. Sometimes his choices of bedmates made her wonder what he was thinking. Like that flight attendant in Istanbul. He said he could travel on his own, but did he intentionally flirt with her to have a free and flirty travel guide?

But then, she reminded herself, she wasn't an innocent prude when it came to choices of sexual partners. She'd hooked up with her share of men she knew she'd never see again, so why should Auggie's choices upset her? Because, she said to herself, she'd give anything to be on the receiving end of one of those smiles, to be pulled into his arms and –

"So, how'd I do?"

"Huh?"

Auggie frowned, "You're supposed to be observing. How'd I do?"

"Oh, sorry. Lost in my thoughts," Annie said. "She seemed to be none the wiser, so I'd say you pulled it off."

Auggie nodded and leaned closer, "I tried to keep my eyeline at her shoulders. Was that where it normally was?"

"Yeah, shoulders or chest level," Annie said.

Auggie nearly choked on the mouthful of beer he was imbibing. "God, seriously?"

"Yeah, why?"

Laughing, he said, "I don't think I can keep a straight, unknowing face talking to a woman while staring at her chest."

"Well, then, keep to the shoulders, then," Annie said. "How else was it?"

"Great, I can still get a decent view of the person, plus what's around them," he said. "So, what now?"

"Maybe we should mingle?" Annie offered. "See what we can see?"

"I like the way you think," Auggie said with a grin.

For another hour, the pair worked the room, engaging in a carefully orchestrated mission that no one but them knew about. They drank, talked to a few of Auggie's friends, Annie's friends, and the odd co-worker or two.

While Auggie talked, Annie watched him, staying out of it when he stayed in character, giving a squeeze of his arm when his eyes seemed to stray too close to normal. She couldn't wait to report back to Joan how well he was doing. Their boss would probably be hesitant to use Auggie as he was now, but really, how often does the agency come across a trained, intelligent officer who can pass for being blind, yet wasn't really?

Once they'd ran out of marks to try Auggie's eyes out on, they lounged against a wall, trying to figure out what to do next.

Auggie leaned down and whispered in her ear, "They still got the dart board here?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Think I should give it a try?" he asked, chuckling.

"Okay, no more beer for you," Annie said, imagining the scenario and shaking her head. The movement made her a touch dizzy, as they both had been drinking freely. Maybe it was time to call it a night, or get some food.

Auggie bit back a retort of "spoilsport," and leaned back, allowing his eyes to scan across the room and the crowd. He was getting more accustomed at matching what he was seeing to what was actually happening. And what he was seeing now looked like a mass of shadows moving, yet not really going anywhere. The thumping beat of music accompanying the movement put a smile on his face.

"Let's dance," he said, sliding his arm back up Annie's arm and pulling her away from the wall.

"Really?" Annie asked.

"We need to try all scenarios," he said, "remember?"

Annie wasn't sure what type of mission in the future would require Auggie to dance in a night club, but he was moving and pulling her along, so she had to follow.

"Auggie, I'm not sure about this," she said, as they came to the edge of the writhing crowd. The music, an electronica house blend, wasn't too harsh, but it wasn't the type of music that one could sway by oneself.

Auggie, apparently, knew this, and as soon as they hit the dance floor, his hand left her arm and slung around her waist, pulling her close to him. Annie swung her arms around his neck and just followed his lead.

He'd wanted to do this to see what he could with ever-moving people around him, but once her lower body brushed up against his, and her arms hit his shoulders and her fingers on his neck, Auggie's attention went no further than what was directly in front of him.

Given how everyone's attentions were engaged, Auggie figured there was no need to keep up the pretense. He was here, in Annie's arms, their bodies moving in sync to a deep, bass-flavored beat, and he'd be damned if he treated it like a sight-seeing exercise.

A shift had occurred between them during the past couple of months. It'd taken the partial restoration of his sight to show him how beautiful she was on the outside. And to his delight, it matched perfectly to what he knew was on the inside of Annie Walker.

The cues she'd unintentionally passed to him during this time showed him that she felt it, as well. That wonder, that thought of what if, what could be, what should be.

He looked nowhere but at her, Annie realized after a minute of swaying and moving to the music. In his apartment, in his office, at the table over beers, she swam in those chocolate-brown eyes. But now, that look was accompanied by jean-clad thighs rubbing against and between hers, strong arms holding her close and a warm hand on her lower back.

A girl can only resist so much temptation, and Annie found herself responding. She ran her fingers along the collar of his shirt and dove into his hair. She saw his throat move as he swallowed, and his lips parted slightly before they curved into a smirk.

Not to be outdone, Auggie ran the hand that wasn't keeping her pressed to him up her side and over her shoulder, returning the favor. Hmm, he thought, she liked it.

He saw her eyelids close and felt a flush of goosebumps move across the skin of her neck. He couldn't resist any longer, and before her eyes opened again, he lowered his mouth to hers.

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><p><strong>AN So, whaddya think? Please review. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

God, Annie thought, this can't be happening. Yet it was. When her eyes fluttered shut, she was trying to categorize what the hell was happening. The music was so loud, she couldn't think straight, and her body and emotions were taking over. Auggie's hands seemed to be everywhere on her body, and it was all she could do to hang onto him and ride out the song.

Then, before she could open her eyes, his lips were on hers. An involuntary cross between a squeak and a moan escaped her, and he responded, pulling back, finding a better angle, and diving in again. She was putty in his hands, she knew, and for the seconds – minutes – hours – it took for him to kiss her on the dance floor, while never losing the beat of the music, she was merely along for the ride.

God, Auggie wondered, how is she not rejecting him? He was crossing so many lines, yet he couldn't stop himself. He only meant to extend the fun they were having, engage in some flirting while joining the crowd and dancing. Now, though, he wished they were anywhere but here – alone. It felt so right, so good and inevitable.

When he tore his lips from hers, he tucked his face into her shoulder and spun them, trying to get his breath back. By the puffs of air on his neck, he could tell she was feeling it, as well.

And all too soon, the song ended with an explosion of heavy bass beats. Bodies began pushing past them, and Auggie pulled Annie closer to him until the crowd lessened.

"How about a drink?" she whispered in his ear, and Auggie nodded, not trusting his voice to answer, as he was afraid it'd come out in a teenager-like squeak. She'd shaken him to the core with her response, and he needed a minute to step back and evaluate what'd happened and changed in the past three minutes.

He led them back to their table, his hand still ghosting along her lower back. Her silken blouse felt so cool against his over-sensitive fingers, and he couldn't help but imagine if her skin underneath felt the same.

Annie's hands gripped the back of her chair. "You really want another drink?" she asked.

Auggie immediately shook his head in the negative. The ones he'd imbibed already were starting to affect him, and if things continued the way they were going, he'd be on the verge of forgetting everything come the morning in a hangover-induced haze.

"Want to come back home with me?" he asked, an unfamiliar nervousness welling up in him, one that he'd never experienced before in this situation.

"Yes," she answered quickly, and before anything could change her mind or come up between them, he pulled out his phone to call a cab.

Before he could push a button, though, it buzzed with an incoming call. Another ding came from Annie's phone.

Damn, he thought, as he answered. He knew what it was. In addition to the coded message he was given as he answered, that particular vibration on his phone, and the ring on Annie's, signified they were being called in.

* * *

><p>The cab ride was interesting, to say the least. Both Annie and Auggie attempted to get back into work mode, physically and emotionally, but their hands found one another on the seat in between them, and hung on for the 20-minute ride.<p>

A mile from their destination, Auggie had to say something, if nothing, but to test the air between them. "What do you think they want with us?"

"I don't know," Annie replied. "Maybe they've got something for you to do now."

Auggie nodded. That's what he was both afraid of and scared of. "You'll be with me, though," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Always."

* * *

><p>Auggie's fingers flew across the Braille while Annie read her copy. They were the only ones in the room other than Joan, a slight change from the normal briefing, but they both knew why. Auggie's new status was known to precious few, and Joan wanted to keep it that way. She'd also wanted to wait longer before sending her new team out in the field, but when opportunities arose in the world, the CIA didn't have the option to wait.<p>

"Huh," Annie said. "I was in London a few months ago."

Auggie shrugged, "I've never been. You'll have to show me the sights."

"Maybe you'll see them in the cab on the way to the hotel," Joan said. "Or on your next vacation."

Auggie shrugged, or maybe they'd get a couple of hours to themselves, and he could stand on Westminster Bridge with a beautiful girl by his side. Annie's voice tore him out of his fantasy.

"This looks like a regular pass of intel. What's Auggie's role gonna be?" she asked.

Joan smiled and cocked her head towards Auggie. "Care to fill her in?"

"I've met our mark," he said. "Before Afghanistan. The last I saw him, I actually saw him."

"Exactly," Joan said. "We're trying to pull him in further, and you were the only contact he's had with us. He's still a worthwhile mark to bring into our fold, and I believe you'll be able to do it."

Auggie thought hard about the man whose name he just read a minute ago. Young, a bit of a rebel. He'd met him while solidifying his cover in the States. It seemed now that the young man had gone home to England and was making a name for himself in the cybercrime world.

"Does he know what happened to me?"

"Chatter says no. I believe it. He left the country before you did, so as far as he knows, Auggie Anderson is still a seeing computer hacker."

"Sounds good to me," Auggie said, closing the file. "When do we leave?"

"A car outside will take you to your houses to pack, then to the airport. Good luck," she said, picking up her own stack of papers and leaving the office.

"Guess she's going home," Annie remarked.

"Yeah," Auggie said. "So, umm, ready to go?"

That slight hesitation caught Annie's attention, and she turned and looked directly at the man who not a half hour ago had her writhing against him while he assaulted her lips. Now he looked almost shy – no, that's not the right word. Maybe scared a little, unsure of himself.

She took a step towards him and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "You're going to rock this mission, Auggie."

"No, we're going to rock this mission," he corrected. "I'm just, well, wondering where we stand right now."

"Nothing's changed," she said in a whisper. "I'd rather we were at your place right now, but we'll just have to postpone that until we touch down in London."

That wiped the uncertainty from his face, and Annie felt a delicious thrill run through her as he gave her the smile. That smile she'd seen in the past, but never aimed towards her. Now it was, and she suddenly knew why women fell at his feet.

"Keep smiling at me like that, and we'll miss our flight," she teased, giving his arm one last squeeze before offering him her elbow.

Auggie chuckled as he took up his familiar place at her side, his hand at her elbow. And, as he recalled the one detail in their dossier – that Joan had booked them a single hotel room – he let his fingers once again feel the cool delicateness of her silken blouse. It wouldn't be long now.

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><p><strong>AN This chapter lovingly dedicated to the writer/reader NeoNails whose inspirational review this afternoon gave me the kick in the butt I needed to keep writing. Love ya, honey!**

**I know this story is leaning towards the va-va-va-voom, but I'm keeping it T throughout.**

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

Their seats on the British Airways flight were business class, of course, but Auggie couldn't have cared less. His life as of late had taken a decided upswing, and he planned on enjoying it for as long as he could. He no longer lived in perpetual night, he was out in the field, and best of all, his best girl was beside him all the way.

That girl who, though, as soon as they fastened their seatbelts, began poring over the file. He didn't need his eyes to tell that. The shuffle-shuffle of papers and her humming as she took in the information was enough to tell him.

"Do you always do that?" he asked, after they were in the air for 15 minutes.

"Hmm?"

"Read dossiers like you were cramming for finals."

"We've got a short time frame, Auggie," Annie said. "You may know about this guy, but I don't."

Auggie shook his head and reached over, closing the folder on her lap and stowing it away in her carry-on. "There'll be time enough when we land. Trust me."

Annie sighed, but knew he was right. She was exhausted, and any information she could possibly read right now wouldn't stay too long in her head. She'd read the same line three times before Auggie interrupted her.

"I'm gonna try to get some sleep, okay?" she said, leaning her chair back as far as it would go. Given the day and time of their red-eye flight, the compartment only had a few other passengers, and there was no one behind them.

Auggie wanted to, as well, but he wanted to use the down time to hone his sight ability. Some might say he was overdoing it, but he wanted to be ready for any possible venture. Any new place gave him the opportunity, and he'd disciplined himself over the past month to take advantage.

He unfastened his seat belt and stood, his cane left behind. The small confines made it useless. He cast his hearing out, then took a surreptitious glance around. Courtesy of Annie's feedback about how he looked when he did this, he knew that he could get a general layout. The flight attendants had doused the lights a bit since it was about 1am Eastern time still, and those in their seats were covered in blankets and sleeping.

The lights above the seats didn't do much to show him what was in front of him, but, he noted, it gave him an odd depth of field. Cool, he thought. Something new to try out later.

Movement to his left showed him that the flight attendant had seen him stand. "Excuse me," he whispered in his direction. "Restroom?"

"Right this way," the man said, a hand on Auggie's elbow.

Annie smiled as she saw through half-open eyes Auggie take off out of his seat. He'd been like a kid in a candy store for the past few days, and she couldn't fault him for not wanting to shut his eyes, even for the necessity of sleep.

She groaned to herself as she remembered her first reaction in his apartment to his now sighted self. She really had no excuse for it. Maybe shock, as he said. But she knew it was partly because she was hoping he'd wanted to tell her what she'd wanted to tell him a few weeks before. That he had feelings for her and wanted to extend their friendship beyond what they had.

Even as his hand raised to touch her face, she had been hoping that's what he'd say. But when it became obvious that all he'd wanted to tell her that he went away, by himself, not telling her or anyone, to have surgery on his eyes.

She'd walked out because, if anything, she'd wanted to get away before her true feelings began spilling out of her. But then – he'd followed her. He hadn't let her get away. She couldn't remember the last time a man had done that. But Auggie had.

She closed her eyes and tried to get into a comfortable position in the small space, a lingering smile on her lips. Though she'd much rather be in a different place right now – namely in Auggie's arms back at his place – they were together.

By the time he made it back to his seat, Auggie could feel the exhaustion creeping onto him. He was also developing a bit of a headache, which told him that he'd been forcing his sight a bit too much. He settled into his seat, and hearing Annie's soft breathing beside him, lowered the arm rest between them and his seat back. He pulled the small blanket up over his shoulder and turned his head toward her. Granted, they were in a public airplane, but if he was to get his first glimpse of her when he awoke, he'd take it anywhere he could.

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><p>A few hours into her sleep, Annie roused herself and shifted. She'd been on close to 100 flights like these in the past few years, and her internal clock knew wake her so she could move a bit every couple of hours.<p>

When she roused this time, though, it was to find she wasn't alone. Auggie's head was a few inches from hers, and his hand was clutching hers between them. Yeah, she thought. This is right, where she'd always wanted to be. Adjusting herself slightly, she lay her head back down and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>A hand on his shoulder and the flight attendant's familiar voice woke Auggie a while later.<p>

"Sir, the plane will be landing in half an hour."

"Thank you," Auggie whispered. Upon opening his eyes, he noted at once that the cabin did, indeed, appear brighter. The five-hour ahead time difference, he figured, made it mid-morning London time.

It also gave him better vision, and with a few blinks and a couple seconds of concentration, the view in front of him became somewhat clear.

"Annie," he whispered, squeezing her hand that still lay between them. "Annie, the plane's about to land."

"Mmm?"

It was more adorable than he ever imagined. She tried to snuggle back into the small pillow and pull the blanket up, but his laughter at her antics must have woken her up. She opened her eyes, and once they settled onto him, she smiled.

"Good morning," Auggie said.

"Hi," Annie replied.

"Plane's about to land."

"Oh, okay," Annie said, moving to sit up. Auggie's grip on her hand, however, pulled her back down.

"Auggie, what –"

"Shh," he said. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to do this."

His free hand came up to cup her cheek, much like he had when she first arrived in his apartment the night before. The light beaming down on them from the overhead lamp plus the bright morning sun gave him enough luminesence to make out her features.

And her lips parted just enough for him to feel her warm breath before he kissed her. Just as sweet and soft as he remembered from the night before, but with a touch of innocence, as they didn't have the pressing bodies around them or the music egging them on.

"Wow," Annie whispered as he pulled back. "I need to wake up like that every morning."

"Who says you can't?" Auggie teased, as they began to sit up, fold their blankets and readjust their clothing.

Just those words clenched onto Annie's heart, and she couldn't respond right off. She wanted so badly to take them at face value and accept readily what he was offering. But she knew him, almost as well, she believed, as she knew herself. His teasing and charm were second nature, and not to be taken too seriously.

"Well, our bosses, our jobs," she said. "And now, my bladder is yearning for some relief," she said, squeezing past him.

Auggie sat up and pulled his seat back upright, then ran his hands over the stubble on on his face. He didn't really expect her to jump up and away from him like that. But, he guessed, he couldn't blame her, either.

All this was new to both of them, and he'd be wise to take it slow. Especially now that they were out in the field like this. If he hadn't taken a good chunk of his vacation time already, he'd put in a request for both of them for a long weekend. Well, he thought, maybe they'd get some down time during this mission to have a honest talk.

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><p><strong>AN Sorry that FF site has been glitchy as of late, with no e-mail notices and no traffic counts. Hope you're all still with me here!**

**Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

Yep, Annie thought, Joan did book them one hotel room. One room with two beds. Was the agency trying to cut back on travel expenses? She's surprised they weren't booked in a hostel or had to share an airplane seat. At least she had Auggie as a roommate. She couldn't imagine having to share a bathroom with Jai or another male officer.

She shouldered her way through the door and dropped her suitcase on the nearest bed. Auggie followed, and with a few sweeps of his cane, found the other bed and dropped his bag, as well. "Hope you don't snore," she teased.

"I don't," he said. "Kind of interesting that Joan arranged for one room for the both of us, don't you think?"

Annie shrugged and dropped full-length onto the mattress, kicking off her stilettos in the process. "Ahh, that feels good. You'd think I'd be used to sleeping on planes by now."

As she didn't exactly answer his question, Auggie took it at a different angle, "So, ever had to bunk up with somone like this?" He took a seat on the edge of his bed and leaned his elbows on his knees. Ever since their face-to-face wakeup, he'd noticed her unwillingness to talk about "them" any further, changing the subject at every turn.

"Yeah, a couple times. Remember my backpacking trek with Reva?" she replied with a chuckle. "Try not to sprain your ankle, too."

"Annie –"

There it was, that same drawl, and casting a glance in his direction – yep, the smile was there, too. The look that'd preceded both their kiss on the dance floor and his wake-up brand of affection an hour ago. She'd so wanted to take all this slow – or at least have time to work through what they were going through right now. If they hadn't been called in last night, this conversation would be taking place between sheets or over coffee. But now they were on a mission, on company time. It wasn't fair to do this now, but another glance at him showed that he wasn't going to back down.

She hauled herself up and into a simliar sitting position, on the edge of her bed, elbows on knees. Only a foot separated them in the small room. "You want to talk about what's going on between us."

Auggie wanted to scream out, "Yes, yes, tell me you feel the same as I do," but he bit his tongue and nodded. He needed to put the ball into her court and not make her feel pressured.

"So do I, but do you think it's wise to do it now? I mean, we're on a mission, and –"

"I should've let you read the rest of the file. Until we get a call from Eion Pickett, we're in a holding pattern."

"Oh, right," Annie said. "How did you read all of that file or remember any of it? Both of us were drinking last night."

"It's a gift," he said with a smirk. "So –"

"Where should I start?"

"At the beginning usually works."

"Two years ago?" she asked, and as he shrugged, she decided, why not? Complete and total dissemination of facts. Lay it all out on the line and see what happened. There was really no going back now, given the events of the past few days. No pretending and going back to "being friends."

"I was terrified when I walked into the CIA," she admitted. "Terrified and excited, all at once. Almost felt like throwing up. But then, I met you, and suddenly, I didn't feel quite alone anymore. I never knew why you took me under your wing, but seriously, I wouldn't be here without your help."

Auggie's jaw dropped an inch at her words. He was expecting some hemming and hawing, maybe a few words about how attracted she was to him, and he'd tell her the feeling was mutual, and then – God, how did he respond to such a heartfelt confession?

"You did that all on your own, Annie. I was just doing my job."

"Don't do that," Annie said. "You went above and beyond, and you know it."

"Thanks," Auggie said.

"You're welcome, though I should be thanking you, as well. You stayed by me, through everything. Ben, Jai, Scott –"

"Wait," Auggie interrupted. "Jai? You mean you and he –"

"No, of course not. Though I didn't want to hear it at the time, you gave me enough warning signs. I really should've listened to what you said my first day."

"Which part?"

"About the CIA wanting employees to date each other."

"Ahh, that. As I remember, Conrad showed up not long after. Did you two ever –"

"No, never. But the place was full of men. I know Stu was smiling at me a lot, but then he got promoted, and –" Annie could've laughed out loud at Auggie's reaction, but she decided to let it pass. Hey, he's the one who wanted to talk, right?

"We're kind of getting off track here," he prompted.

"Oh, right. Me and you," Annie said. "Auggie, I could go over every conversation, every interaction we've had over the past two years, but there's really no need for that, is there? I mean, we've been through a lot, together. I guess, for me, things changed after I had my first kill."

"Mm," Auggie said. "You wanted to talk to me, but I was leaving, and –"

"Yeah, that's the day," she said, her memory flashing back to them, sitting on the hood of his convertible, her hand grasping onto his. "I wanted to tell you then that – well, I mean to say was that –"

Her stammering was halted by Auggie's hand sliding into hers. It gave her strength and hope, but the words that were on her mind then seemed so innocent and naïve, and his words had so doused her hopes that saying them now didn't seem right.

Hearing her halted words and feeling the slight tremble in her fingers, Auggie so wanted to take her in his arms and soothe her worries. But his instincts told him to let her work through it, let her come to him. Just like she'd done in that garage. Then he'd had other things on his mind and his own agenda. Now he had no other plans but to make his future with Annie work.

Annie took a deep breath and drew from the strength she felt through Auggie's strong fingers as they caressed hers. She had no reason to feel insecure or nervous about this now. Auggie obviously felt something for her now, and it wasn't just the alcohol or proximity. Or was it?

"Auggie, I'm no stranger to physical relationships, but we've got such a history, and you're one of my best friends. Don't you think that this – whatever this is – is going to change that?"

"No."

Annie blinked and raised her eyes from their clasped hands to his face. He wasn't smiling or teasing. "How can you know that?" she asked.

"Because this – whatever this is – is more real to me than anything I've ever experienced in my whole life," he said. The light in the hotel room wasn't all that great, so Auggie's new-found vision wasn't much use to him at this moment. He wished they were back at his apartment having this conversation, where he could turn on every light he owned and aim them at her face.

But they weren't, and he had to rely on his other heightened senses to ascertain her reaction. Her fingers gripped his slightly tighter, and he heard her breath come in harsher. And then –

It was all she needed to hear, and Annie launched herself at him. Thankfully, he had quick reflexes, even given his limitations, and Auggie had half a second to steel himself as she half-tackled him on the bed. Her hands clapped on either side of his face, and her mouth attached to his as his back landed on his bed, just missing his suitcase by a couple of inches.

His arms came around her back, and he rolled, taking her with him as he settled both of them more comfortably against the pillows. He still let her lead the kissing and took everything she had to offer, mentally slapping himself for waiting so long and convincing himself that she would never feel the same way about him that he'd always felt about her.

His mental torture, however, would have to wait as he felt her hands slip down from his face to slide along his chest to the hem of his shirt.

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><p><strong>AN Wow! Over 100 reviews in ten chapters? I'm so overcome with happiness now at everyone's enthusiasm for my little story. And I received 1,000 hits yesterday when the traffic counter finally kicked back on. Thus, you all are rewarded by this little chapter, which I stayed up late to crank out.**

**As for them getting together FINALLY now, I had a choice. Mission first, or reconciliation first? When I sat down to write, this scene came to mind. I hemmed and hawed, much like Annie did, about what would be said, who would make the first move, but I liked how it worked out. Hope you did, too.**

**Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

After half a day of getting to know one another – well, you know - Annie and Auggie finally called in room service. Auggie bragged that he was able to go two days without food before feeling the effects, but Annie told him that growling stomachs were not in the least attractive, for either of them.

He opted for a quick shower, while Annie waited for their food to arrive. She heard the water turn off right as the knock on the door sounded, and she ran to the door. A few hours of blissful bedtime activity with Auggie left her ravenous, and she ignored the blatant stare of the waiter as he handed over the tray and accepted her tip.

Huh, she thought, guess he doesn't get many people dressed in a robe with bedhead at 3 in the afternoon. No matter, she thought, as she inhaled. Auggie left it up to her to order, and she couldn't decide, so she opted for a little bit of everything.

She laid everything out on the "spare" bed, which held their suitcases and was busy digging into a buttered scone when the bathroom door opened. Her hand stopped on the way to her mouth that had opened for the scone, but dropped even further as Auggie sauntered out. Yes, sauntered - hair dripping water onto his bare chest and towel tied around his hips.

Auggie knew the curtains were opened, and the mid-afternoon sun would have lit up the room by now. His calculation was right, for as he opened the bathroom door, he almost had to blink against the brightness assailing his brain. But he soldiered on, walking into the room and instantly finding Annie. Natural light, he knew, gave him the best vision, and he wanted to be able to see her response to him. Teasing, for sure, but he couldn't help himself.

The past few hours he marked as the best in his life, and as he stood under the hot blast of the shower, he couldn't believe how lucky he was, that Annie's feelings towards him matched his own. He'd almost wanted to interrogate her, ask her how long she'd wanted him, when did her feelings change from friendship to romance, but he knew a good thing when he had it, and he didn't want to waste one more moment analyzing.

"Do I smell lunch?" he asked, walking slowly across the room to the bed he saw her sitting on. From what he could see, she was in the middle of eating, but wasn't moving, and her eyes and head were following him.

"Uhh –"

"Oh, you're eating?" he asked, walking up to her. He kept his movements slow, 'cause his mind was busy feeding him hazy golden images, and his body was begging him to rip off the towel and go for round two. He walked up to her and plucked the scone out of her fingers. He took a small bite and and returned it to her hand. "Delicious."

The smirk did it, and Annie blinked out of her Auggie-fueled haze. "Hey, you've got your own."

Auggie shrugged and picked up his robe that was lying on their rumpled bed. He shrugged it over his shoulders and turned away to drop the towel before wrapping it around himself and tying the knot. Hey, he thought, he was nothing but discreet.

He sat on the other side of the tray and asked Annie what they were eating.

Annie took a deep breath before answering, telling him, clockwise, what all was on the large tray. It really wasn't fair, she thought, as they dove into the food. He could tease her all he wanted with towel-dropping and dripping wet bodies, but she couldn't very well return the favor.

Then she remembered what he said he saw now, and in which situations were best. His eyes were on her the entire time he walked from the bathroom to the bed, so he apparently saw her as well as he ever had. The room was lit up with mid-afternoon sun streaming through the window. As the master plan began to formulate in her mind, her cell rang.

Auggie reached his hand out for it, and she placed it on his palm. He didn't say a word beyond "Hello," but they both knew what it was. The time had come to act.

Auggie ended the call and popped the last of his own scone into his mouth and reached for a cucumber sandwich. "We've got two hours before we meet Eion Pickett."

Annie murmured an "okay," as she took a sandwich herself and devoured it. They ate for another 15 minutes in silence, clearing the tray completely, and Annie drained her orange juice before wiping her mouth. She checked the time and saw they still had about an hour and a half before needing to leave. Plenty of time to put her plan into motion.

Faking an overly dramatic stretch, she stood and walked a few steps across the room. She felt his eyes on her the entire time, and once she attained the right position – lit up completely from the sun's rays, she dropped her hands to the knot on her robe, and with as much sensuality as she could muster, untied it and slid the terry cloth off of her shoulders.

"I think I'll take a shower before we have to get to work," she said, walking over the bundle of cloth at her feet to walk, naked, into the bathroom.

Though Auggie was sufficiently sated – of both his hungers – he felt his most primal one surge back at the most beautiful sight he's ever seen in his entire life. At that moment, he wished his fifth sense was fully functioning during the past ten seconds, but what he'd just seen was enough.

The fact that she did it deliberately, choosing the one spot in the room that'd give him the best view of her as she dropped his robe, caused another surge of adrenaline through his body. He took a quick glug of his own juice before following her into the bathroom, dropping his own robe in the process.

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><p>Annie couldn't keep the smile off of her face as they rode in the back of the black cab on the way to the bar where Eion Pickett worked as a bartender. Auggie wasn't angry in the least at her little "show." In fact, he took the next hour in the shower stall and then the bed to show her how happy he was with her antics.<p>

She wished every mission could be this enjoyable, she thought. As such, she'd have to enjoy every moment she could and commit everything to memory to call up when she found herself out on her own in the future.

Auggie heard the audible "happy sigh" emanate from the woman to his left, and he chuckled. "Something on your mind, Walker? We're supposed to be working, or would you rather I ask the driver to -"

"Cool it, Daredevil," Annie teased. "We're almost there."

And, before the couple could make anymore innuendo-laced jibes at each other, the cab stopped. Annie threw a few bills at the man, feeling more than generous on this particular day. Once on the sidewalk, both operatives settled into their respective roles within seconds.

Auggie unfocused his gaze, and Annie wiped the extremely satisfied grin off of her face. On this mission, they were friends on vacation in London, and, unknown to them, about to meet an old friend of Auggie's at a bar.

Auggie brought to mind his memory of Eion Pickett, a teenager four years ago, but now a man in his early 20s. He seemed out of place in the cybercrime world then, and Auggie remembered him as genuinely guy with promise and smarts. He could have gone either way, and Auggie thought then and now that he still had potential.

From the file they obtained on him, they knew which side he's taken in the past couple of years, but Auggie wondered if Eion's spent too much time on the "bad side," and if he'd be willing to come back, even for his long lost buddy, Auggie Anderson.

Annie led Auggie through the door and up to the bar, doing her best to convince anyone watching that she was "sighting" a blind guy. From their practice sessions, Auggie found that during those moments, he was able to quickly glance around and ascertain what he could actually "see."

They'd only slid their butts on the leather-covered stools before Auggie visibly started at the shouting of his name.

"Jesus Christ! Aug Anderson! What the hell?"

Auggie chuckled. He'd made sure Annie committed to memory what Eion Pickett looked like so they could pinpoint him quickly, but there was no mistaking that London accent.

"Holy crap," he shouted back. "Eion?"

"My god, it's been years, mate."

Annie spotted the man straight off as they took their seats, but it didn't matter much, as Eion noticed Auggie right off. If she didn't know what all he's been responsible for in the past, Annie might have been unabashedly attracted to the man. Strong jawline, pronounced cheekbones and green eyes. Coupled with the long, straight red hair held back by a tie at the base of his neck, he had all the looks of a potential fashion model.

A model who, at the moment, was holding his hand out to Auggie. Given the dim light in the bar, she couldn't be sure if Auggie could see it or not, and anyway, he was playing completely blind.

Loud enough for both of them to hear, she said, "Hand, your 12 o'clock."

Auggie nodded and stuck his hand out, waiting for Eion to take it. A few seconds later, the man's hand clasped his, and they shook. "So, Eion, never took you for a bartending type."

"To hell with why I'm slinging brews, Aug. What the hell happened to you?"

"Umm, can't really talk about it, you know, out in the open like this, if you know what I mean," Auggie said low.

Eion nodded, and Annie watched as he walked over to the other bartender and whispered to him for a couple of seconds. He then walked back to them and said, "I'm on a break. Come on back to a booth."

Annie and Auggie followed Eion into the back of the bar and slid around into a corner booth. Eion looked at him expectantly, and Annie prompted Auggie, "Go ahead, we're listening."

Auggie readily launched into his fake backstory about how he got in too deep with some guys he thought were legit, but weren't. When he tried to back out, they wouldn't let him, and when he attempted to tell someone, they found out first and attacked. Auggie wound up with a bullet in the head that left him permanently blind.

Annie watched Eion's face during Auggie's recitation, gauging the man's gullibility. She needn't have worried, though, as Auggie had a natural gift of gab and charm, and she almost found herself believing his story.

The young man's green eyes dilated as Auggie spoke, and his mouth dropped open when he found how Auggie was nearly killed for his deeds. Deeds that he, himself, had committed time and again over the past five years.

He remained silent, and Auggie leaned forward, placing his arms on the table. "Please tell me you aren't still in that game. I mean, you're legit, right? You've got a job."

"I've got a job, Aug, 'cause it's a front. Of course, I'm still in the game. In fact –"

Eion's voice dropped out, and he leaned back against the cushions. Annie felt a wave of compassion course through her. Auggie was right, she thought. He really was a good kid obviously caught up in something bigger than himself. But she kept her face blank. He can't know that she knew all about him.

Auggie cocked his head, concern coming across his face. "Eion, what is it? What have you done?"

"Nothing I can talk about here," Eion breathed out. "But these guys, they shot you to kill you, right?"

Auggie nodded.

"Do you think – I mean, hell, Aug, you were the best of the best. What if –"

Aug knew his cue when he heard it, and he leaned across the table. "What would you say if we told you we could protect you?" he asked, keeping his voice so low, Annie barely heard him.

But Eion did, and he audibly scoffed. "A blind guy and his blondie girlfriend can protect me? How about, you leave and let me make my own decisions."

Auggie heard sounds of shuffling, and he played his last card. "Eion, we're CIA."

Eion's laugh echoed through the room.

"No, really," Auggie pressed. "Listen, you're a good kid. Smart. Work with us. It's the only way."

Eion shook his head, and Annie could see the telltale signs of a person not knowing who to trust anymore. He looked from Auggie to her, and she gave him a warm smile.

"No, no," he said, continuing to shift around the booth's seat to stand. "This is too weird for me. Look, my contacts are local, and if they know who you are, I'm probably targeted already. I'm sorry what happened to you, Aug, but what you're asking is –"

He walked away, banging through a doorway marked "Employees Only." Annie turned to Auggie, wondering if they should follow him, or hang around.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Auggie shook his head, "Normal paranoia in situations like this," he replied. "We may have gotten to him just in time, or not soon enough. We have his home address. Let's give him until the morning before trying again."

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><p><strong>AN So, whaddya think? I'm kinda liking this version of A&A, teasing, loving, sexually charged innuendo.**

**What do you think of Eion Pickett? Two points on him. One, I picked his name out of thin air, and only just now realized that the guy who plays Ben is named Eion. Oops. On a better note, when thinking of how to describe him, I had a picture of Cillian Murphy pop up in my head. Namely, his character in "Girl with a Pearl Earring." sigh.**

**Anyway, beyond my fantasies, I've summary'd it out to the end, and by my calculations, two more chapters left.**

**Please, please review. Only takes a few seconds.**

**p.s., shoutout to fbobs, a new reader and lovely reviewer on the site. Hi!**


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning dawned with almost typical London weather – cloudy, grey, and rainy. A quick check of the news showed it to be the same all day, so Annie and Auggie picked up an umbrella at the concierge before heading out.

"Mm, I don't mind this rain at all," Annie said, sliding her arm around Auggie's waist so that the umbrella would cover them both.

"Kind of messin' with my vision, though," Auggie said, keeping a tight grasp of his cane as he swung it in front of him. "Low light levels and air filled with moving drops? Might as well close my eyes."

"Or wear dark shades," Annie offered.

"Maybe with strangers, but those who know me might get suspicious," he said.

They arrived at the building of flats that Eion lived in, and Annie took up the lead, casting around for apartment numbers, and once she ascertained the layout of the building, led Auggie down the hall. Near the end, a nondescript door with the number "113" on it beckoned them.

Annie shifted the folded up umbrella to her other hand and knocked on the door. On the second knock, though, the door squealed slightly on it hinges and began to swing inward. "It's open, Auggie," she whispered.

His instincts automatically kicked in, and Auggie was torn between going in himself, letting Annie go in, or calling in for backup before crossing the threshold. There was no reason someone in Eion's position would leave his door open, none whatsoever. He must have been thinking too long, for he felt Annie slide away from him and the door hinges squeal again as she pushed it open further.

"Annie, wait," he whispered in a harsh tone.

Annie shook her head, "I'll be careful. This is my job, Auggie. Let me do this."

"Then I'm coming with you," he said.

She knew it was useless to argue with him, but she made sure to take the lead as she walked in. The apartment consisted of a long, narrow hallway that opened into a main room filled with cheap furniture and obviously not been cleaned for a while.

Auggie's hand remained on her shoulder as she walked through, and she said, "Stay close. Place is a mess."

Given how all the lights in the apartment were blazing, Annie was sure Auggie could ascertain that for himself. Door left open, all lights on, place a mess. Maybe Eion Pickett lived like this normally, but Annie's instincts told her no. He didn't look too settled when they left him yesterday at the bar, and she wondered if he'd made a decision about their offer.

The kitchen area was just as messy, but no one was there, either. That only left one doorway, and as she pushed open the door, the sight that greeted her made her gasp.

"Annie, what is it?"

Annie shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was seeing, but knowing she had to voice it to the man standing close behind her. "Eion's lying on his bed. He's – Auggie, he's dead."

"What?"

"Auggie, no," Annie said, reaching out for Auggie as he pushed past her.

Auggie shook off her arm and took a few steps towards the bed. All the lights in the gave him good enough vision to see what was in front of him. "God. Eion."

The young man lay sprawled on his bed lengthwise in the same clothes they saw him in yesterday. By the red splatter around his mouth and on the bed and wall behind him, coupled with the small revolver hanging out of his hand by his side, it was terrifyingly apparent that Eion Pickett shot himself.

"Auggie," Annie whispered, trying to swallow her own emotions , "We need to get out of here, call the police."

Auggie shook his head. "Eion, why?" he asked, his voice husky with emotion.

Annie pulled on his elbow. "We need to leave, Auggie."

She had to use a bit of force to tear him away from the scene. The amount of grief and anger on his face scared her, and she kept an arm around his waist until they reached the hallway. She wanted to ask what the protocol was for situations like this – should they call HQ or local law enforcement first – but Auggie showed no signs of thinking coherently, so she made a decision and called 999.

While they waited in the hall, Annie put through a coded message to HQ, as well, telling them of the death of their mark and that updates will be forthcoming. Lucky for them, the local police showed up quickly. Annie figured it was because they reported a death by gun, which as far as she knew, was still illegal to own in the country.

Auggie's obvious grief rendered him unable to answer the officer's questions, so Annie fed the story that they were on vacation from the States and met him at the bar last night. They'd made plans to have breakfast this morning and came by to pick him up and saw –

Annie sobbed throughout, allowing her real emotions to come through. No, they didn't know if he had any family. Haven't seen him for years.

"Do you need us to stick around?" Auggie asked, fighting back his own tears.

The officer shook his head, "No, clear-cut suicide. We've seen way too many of these this year. What a shame."

Annie nodded in agreement and led Auggie down the hall and out of the building. Their journey back to their hotel was quiet, as Auggie fought to contain his emotions. He knew Eion's decision and subsequent action was his and his alone, but deep down, he couldn't help but wonder if he could have done something to prevent it.

They went directly back to their hotel room, neither one hungry for breakfast anymore. Auggie dropped heavily on the bed and pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Annie.

"What's this?" she asked.

"I, umm, saw it, actually, on the bed and took it. I had a feeling it'd have information that gave us away. Was I right?" Auggie asked.

Annie read it aloud, _"I'd rather take control and end my pathetic life now before it's taken away from me. See you on the other side, Auggie."_

Annie let out a deep breath. "Damn. Do you think he was trying to out us? Get us in trouble?"

Auggie shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe."

Annie sat on the other side of Auggie and slid her fingers into his. She had no words for him, as grief was apparent throughout his whole body. After a few minutes, her cell rang again. "That'll be HQ. I'll take care of it."

Auggie shook his head, "No, let me. I need to do this. For him."

Annie handed him the phone and half-listened as he told whoever was on the other end exactly what transpired in the past two days. She couldn't even imagine what he was going through right now, especially given that he was able to "see" his friend's dead body.

Their flight home wasn't until the next morning, so for the rest of the day, they covered their tracks with their cover stories and kept up their cover as tourists, walking around the city and buying a few trinkets. Annie still hadn't seen Auggie break, and she mentally applauded his strength to do so. If it were her friend splayed out like that, she could never had gone on a few hours later as if nothing happened.

Even so, as they lay together in bed that night, the sound of a sniff echoed in the small, dark room. It came again, and she felt his arm move.

"Auggie?"

He didn't answer, so she slid over and wrapped her arm over his chest and laid her head on his chest. "It's okay to cry, Auggie," she whispered. "I'll still love you."

Auggie's chest rose with a deep inhale, and she could hear the hitch in his voice as he replied, "Really?"

With a few movements, Auggie gathered her in his arms, tucking his head between her shoulder and neck. Annie held him tight, relaying all the strength she could through to him. "Probably even more."

And then, as she felt a slight wetness on her neck, Annie heard him whisper, "I love you, too."

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><p><strong>AN Whoa, didn't see that coming, huh? Eion not strong enough to carry through with life on either side of the law, and Annie and Auggie declaring their feelings that night in bed. I'd say a final follow-up chapter should round out the story.**

**Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

Given the time change, Annie and Auggie returned back to the States the afternoon of the next day. Annie was used to the jet lag, but given the emotion-filled 24 hours, Auggie showed all the signs of exhaustion. They both headed to Joan's office, nonetheless, to debrief.

She ushered them to the couch, and said, "You did everything you could, Auggie. There's no way you could have known how on the edge Eion Pickett was."

Auggie brow furrowed at her words. "What are you talking about, Joan?"

Joan took a deep breath. She'd had to do these types of debriefings before, but they never got any easier. "We have a contact in London who was able to delve more into this. Usually we wouldn't ask for this type of favor, but since the suicide note mentioned you specifically, we had to make sure. Eion Pickett was being treated for paranoid schizophrenia."

Annie's mouth dropped open, "How did no one know this?"

"Intel shows that he didn't tell anyone. Only in going through his belongings did they find a contact number of his psychologist and paperwork showing he'd spent two weeks in institution not too long ago. And before you ask, there's no way we could have found that out prior. Please tell me you don't blame yourself."

Auggie shook his head and looked up at the lights in the ceiling. "I'm trying not to. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the lead. Annie could've seen visual cues that –"

"No, Auggie, I didn't," Annie interrupted, placing her hand over his as it lay on the couch. "Eion looked upset, disbelieving, even, but I've seen that same look on other marks I've talked to in the past."

Joan nodded and smiled warmly at her. "Take the rest of day off, Auggie. I don't want to see you again until tomorrow morning."

Auggie nodded, not willing to put up a fight. A few hours alone to process everything and convince himself there was nothing he could do to prevent Eion's death seemed ideal to him.

Annie followed him with her eyes, her heart breaking with every step away he took. "May I take the day off, as well?" she asked Joan.

"As long as I get your report by noon tomorrow, I don't see any problem with that. May I ask why?"

Annie bit her tongue from saying, "Because I love Auggie, and it kills me to see him so hurt." Joan had made it clear in the past that she wasn't in the least bit interested in the personal lives of her employees, and a Dear Abby she was not.

"May I ask you something?" she asked. "I don't remember seeing anything in the policy book, but is there paperwork to be filled out for a close and continuing relationship with a fellow in-house agency employee?"

She kept her features and face neutral while asking, hoping Joan would "take the hint."

Apparently, she had, as she shook her head and fought back a smile. "No paperwork, verbal summation is adequate."

"Thank you."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Annie."

She let out a breath and said, "Thank you. Again."

Standing up from the couch, Joan headed back to her desk, "Could you remind Auggie of the policy when you see him?"

* * *

><p>When Annie got down to the bullpen, Auggie was busy shutting down the equipment on his desk and shrugging into his jacket. She pulled her jacket off the back of her chair and approached him.<p>

"Hey, I'll drive you home," she said, reaching up to adjust his collar.

"How'd you swing the day off, as well?" he asked, his eyes closing at the soft touch of her fingers on the back of his neck.

"I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

><p>She thought perhaps it'd elicit a good laugh out of him, but he took Joan's knowledge of their "close and continuing" in stride with a nod. He remained silent the rest of the drive, but by the time they'd crossed the threshold of his apartment, Annie was seriously worried. "You okay?" she asked.<p>

"Yeah, there's really no need for you to hang around, if you've got –"

Annie walked up to him and pressed a hand against his chest. "Auggie, I'm here. I'm not leaving."

"Thank you," he said.

"No need. If I was at work, I'd spend the whole time thinking about you," she said.

Auggie grinned, "Can't live without me now?"

The teasing glint returned to his eyes, and Annie thrilled at it. "I don't know, it's gonna be kind of difficult waking up alone anymore. You are quite the cuddler."

"As I recall, you were the one who had me in a death grip that first morning," Auggie countered.

"You weren't pushing me away."

"No, no, I wasn't," he replied, placing his hand over hers.

"We'll be all right, won't we?"

Auggie thought on her words before answering, sensing a dozen underlying questions behind it. "I'm thinking you're looking for more than a 'yes' here."

Annie laughed, "You know me way too well."

"How about this?" Auggie asked. With the enhanced lighting in apartment, he was able to see her features perfectly. He took her face in his hands, lightly cupping her jaw. "What color are your eyes?" he asked.

"Brown."

Auggied nodded, and with that final piece of information, his image of her was complete. While staring into the depth of her brown eyes, he smiled at the perfection he saw there. Words such as perfect, beautiful, soulmate all came to mind, but they seemed hollow. Well, actions speak louder, he thought, lowering his head.

And with one kiss, one brush of his lips against hers, one pressing together of skin, Auggie attempted to convey all of his feelings.

Annie could do nothing but hang onto his wrists and keep her knees from buckling. His proclamation of love for her, as wordless as it was, brought tears to her eyes, and as Auggie lifted away, her eyes opened, and a drop fell from her lashes.

Auggie felt it as it hit his thumb, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "Never had my kisses drive a woman to tears before."

Annie laughed, and Auggie joined in, wrapping his arms around her.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

**A/N Thank you all for coming with me on this story. I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**Please review.**


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